The artworks in this exhibit are not actual Navajo sandpaintings, but reproductions. This is because traditional sandpaintings are made by arranging substances on the ground or on the floor, without any kind of binder or glue. These are therefore not permanent, but ephemeral artworks that may not be saved or collected. Traditional sandpaintings are made by the Navajo (also … [Read more...] about Navajo/Dine Culture Sandpainting Reproductions by Lindsey Vandieren
These colorful earrings are made with light green, dark green, blue, and red seed beads. The almond shape of the transparent green beaded loops suggests that they may represent leaves, or more likely, feathers that are tied along a string. Feathers were commonly worn as status symbols among Great Plains cultures, as they were presented as symbols of recognition for different … [Read more...] about Native North American Beadwork by Alexa Langelier
Contemporary Maya cultures in Guatemala produce elaborate textiles using traditional methods for spinning, dying, weaving, and embroidering cloth that have been passed down by the women of their cultures for centuries. Each Maya region is known for its own version of colorful traditional clothing outfits, called trajes. While women in more rural areas continue to wear the traje … [Read more...] about Traditional Maya 20th-century Clothing: Researched by Vinita Williams
This small textile is a sample of traditional Maya weaving, possibly serving as a napkin or just as a sampler. Maya textiles are more typically created as large pieces of fabric, intended to be made into traditional clothing, that are hand-woven on a backstrap loom. This piece is striped in different colors of traditionally hand-dyed cotton, but because of global trade, today … [Read more...] about Maya Hand-Woven Textiles: Researched by Abigail Morrow
The indigenous cultures of ancient Mesoamerica created a variety of highly sophisticated sculptures in different styles and materials, both as reliefs and as sculptures in-the-round. Many of these sculptures represent their religious beliefs, embodying the Mesoamerican pantheon of gods, while others depict the elite members of the nobility. Later Mestizo (mixed Hispanic and … [Read more...] about Images of Mesoamerican Elites and Deities in Reproduction: Researched by Whitney Mosley